Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

The retractable mouse pad for computers provides a mouse pad that is
built into the housing of a portable computer or other portable
electronic device, such as a laptop computer, a notebook computer or the
like, or, alternatively, into the housing of a computer keyboard or the
like. The housing has a slot formed therein, preferably along a lateral
edge thereof. The slot is in open communication with a recess defined
within the housing. A substantially planar plate having opposed upper and
lower surfaces is slidably and releasably disposed within the recess. The
upper surface of the plate is adapted for supporting a computer mouse,
and the lower surface is adapted for mounting on a support surface, such
as a desktop or the like. The plate is automatically driven to at least
partially slide through the slot to an exterior of the housing.

Claims:

1. A retractable mouse pad for computers, comprising: a keyboard housing
having a recess formed therein, the recess defining a slot opening into
the recess; a substantially planar plate having opposed upper and lower
surfaces, the upper surface being adapted for supporting a computer
mouse, the plate being slidable and releasably disposed within the
recess; and means for selectively and automatically driving the
substantially planar plate to at least partially slide through the slot
to an exterior of the keyboard housing.

2. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 1, wherein
said substantially planar plate is resiliently biased against an inner
wall of the keyboard housing, the inner wall at least partially defining
the recess.

3. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 2, wherein
said means for selectively and automatically driving the substantially
planar plate to at least partially slidably translate through the slot
comprises at least one latch for selectively and releasably securing said
substantially planar plate within the recess.

4. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 3, wherein
said substantially planar plate is substantially rectangular.

5. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 4, wherein
said plate has a pair of longitudinally opposed side edges and a pair of
laterally opposed side edges, said plate being slidable along the
longitudinal direction, the retractable mouse pad further comprising at
least one engaging member mounted on at least one of the laterally
opposed side edges and at least one corresponding slidable latching
member slidably mounted to the keyboard housing.

6. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 5, further
comprising at least one motor selectively driving the at least one
slidable latching member to slide along the lateral direction to
selectively release the at least one engaging member and deploy the
substantially planar plate.

7. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 5, further
comprising at least one linear actuator for selectively driving the at
least one slidable latching member to slide along the lateral direction
to selectively releasing the at least one engaging member and deploy the
substantially planar plate.

8. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 5, wherein
the lower surface of said substantially planar plate is adapted for
positioning on a support surface.

9. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 5, wherein
said means for selectively and automatically driving the substantially
planar plate to at least partially slide through the slot further
comprises a switch mounted on an exterior surface of said keyboard
housing.

10. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 9,
further comprising means for preventing said plate from being completely
removed from within the recess.

11. A retractable mouse pad for computers, comprising: a portable
computer housing having a recess formed therein, the recess defining a
slot opening into the recess; a substantially planar plate having opposed
upper and lower surfaces, the upper surface being adapted for supporting
a computer mouse, the plate being slidable and releasably received within
the recess; and means for selectively and automatically driving the plate
to at least partially slide through the slot to an exterior of the
portable computer housing.

12. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 11,
wherein said plate is resiliently biased against an inner wall of said
portable computer housing, the inner wall at least partially defining the
recess.

13. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 12,
wherein said means for selectively and automatically driving the
substantially planar plate to at least partially slide through the slot
comprises at least one latch for selectively and releasably securing said
substantially planar plate within the recess.

14. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 13,
wherein said plate is substantially rectangular.

15. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 14,
wherein said plate has a pair of longitudinally opposed side edges and a
pair of laterally opposed side edges, said plate being slidable along the
longitudinal direction, the retractable mouse pad further comprising at
least one engaging member mounted on at least one of the laterally
opposed side edges and at least one corresponding slidable latching
member slidably mounted to the portable computer housing.

16. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 15,
further comprising at least one motor selectively driving the at least
one slidable latching member to slide along the lateral direction to
selectively release the at least one engaging member and deploy the
substantially planar plate.

17. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 15,
further comprising at least one linear actuator for selectively driving
the at least one slidable latching member to slide along the lateral
direction to selectively release the at least one engaging member and
deploy the substantially planar plate.

18. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 15,
wherein the lower surface of said plate is adapted for positioning on a
support surface.

19. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 15,
wherein said means for selectively and automatically driving the
substantially planar plate to at least partially slidably translate
through the slot further comprises a switch mounted on an exterior
surface of said portable computer housing.

20. The retractable mouse pad for computers as recited in claim 19,
further comprising means for preventing said substantially planar plate
from being completely removed from within the recess.

Description:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to computers and computer
keyboards, and particularly to a retractable mouse pad for computers that
may be stored within, and transported with, a portable computer, computer
keyboard or the like.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Many personal computer operators use a mouse in operating a
computer, particularly for the control of a computer cursor. Typically,
the mouse is a small electronic box on roller(s) or using optical
components that is moved about on a hard flat surface, known as a "mouse
pad". While the mouse can be used on certain surfaces, such as a
tabletop, with some success, it is more common and convenient to have a
dedicated pad on which to move the mouse.

[0005] With a stationary personal computer, it is usually straightforward
to find an area to place the pad and mouse on a semi-permanent basis.
However, with a portable or notebook type computer, it is often
inconvenient to find a suitable space to put the pad and mouse near the
computer, and the size of the typical pad makes it difficult to use with
the portable computer in most mobile or transportable settings.
Therefore, a need exists to develop a more effective mouse pad that is
more readily adapted for use with a portable computer. Thus, a
retractable mouse pad for computers solving the aforementioned problems
is desired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The retractable mouse pad for computers provides a mouse pad that
is built into the housing of a portable computer or other portable
electronic device, such as a laptop computer, a notebook computer or the
like, or, alternatively, into the housing of a computer keyboard or the
like. The housing has a slot formed therein, preferably along a lateral
edge thereof. The slot is in open communication with a recess defined
within the housing. A substantially planar plate having opposed upper and
lower surfaces is slidably and releasably disposed within the recess. The
upper surface of the plate is adapted for supporting a computer mouse,
and the lower surface is adapted for mounting on a support surface, such
as a desktop or the like. The substantially planar plate is automatically
driven to at least partially slide through the slot to the exterior of
the housing.

[0007] Preferably, the plate is resiliently biased against an inner wall
of the housing, where the inner wall at least partially defines the
recess. The plate preferably is substantially rectangular and has a pair
of longitudinally opposed side edges and a pair of laterally opposed side
edges, plate being slidable along the longitudinal direction. At least
one engaging member is mounted on at least one of the laterally opposed
side edges for releasably engaging at least one slidable latch member,
which is slidably mounted within the housing and at least partially
projects into the recess. A button or any other suitable type of switch
is mounted on an exterior of the housing, allowing the user to actuate a
motor, a linear actuator or the like to slide the at least one latching
member away from the at least one engaging member to selectively deploy
the plate.

[0008] These and other features of the present invention will become
readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and
drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is an environmental perspective view of a retractable mouse
pad for computers according to the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a partial environmental top view of the retractable mouse
pad for computers of FIG. 1, the computer being broken away and partially
in section to show details of the retractable mouse pad installation.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a motorized latch assembly for a
retractable mouse pad for computers according to the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 4 is an environmental perspective view of an alternative
embodiment of a retractable mouse pad, shown in use with a conventional
computer keyboard.

[0013] Similar reference characters denote corresponding features
consistently throughout the attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] The retractable mouse pad for computers 10 provides a mouse pad
that is built into the housing of a portable computer or other portable
electronic device, such as the exemplary laptop computer L illustrated in
FIG. 1, a notebook computer or the like. Alternatively, as shown in FIG.
4, the mouse pad 10 may be built into a computer keyboard K. It should be
understood that the retractable mouse pad 10 may be built into any
desired housing of any suitable type of electronic or computer device.
Preferably, the mouse pad projects through a slot formed through a
lateral edge of the computer or keyboard housing, positioning the mouse
pad to the side of the keyboard. It should be understood that the mouse
pad may also be positioned opposite from the side illustrated in FIGS. 1
and 4 (i.e., the right hand side) for left handed users, or may extend
from the front of the housing.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the retractable mouse pad 10 includes a
substantially planar plate 12 having opposed upper and lower surfaces 14,
16, respectively. The plate 12 is slidably and removably disposed within
a recess 22 formed in the housing 20 of the laptop computer L. The planar
plate 12 may be formed from any suitable, substantially rigid material,
such as hard plastic, aluminum, light metal or the like. The lower
surface 14 of the plate 12 is adapted for resting on a support surface,
such as a desk or the like. The upper surface 16 is smooth, flat,
continuous, and adapted for engaging the ball of a ball mouse or
reflecting the light generated by an optical mouse. It should be
understood that the shape and relative dimensions of the planar plate 12
shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4 are for exemplary purposes only. The planar
plate 12 may have be substantially rectangular, and may, for example,
have a length of approximately four inches, a width of approximately four
inches, and a thickness of approximately 2/8 of an inch to approximately
3/8 of an inch.

[0016] As best shown in FIG. 2, the planar plate 12 is resiliently or
spring-biased against a wall or edge 40 defining the recess 22 within the
housing 20 by at least one resilient member 24, such as the exemplary
helical springs illustrated in FIG. 2. The planar plate 12 preferably is
substantially rectangular, and has a pair of laterally opposed side edges
42. At least one engaging member 26 is preferably mounted on at least one
of the side edges 42. In FIG. 2, two such engaging members 26 are
provided, each of the members 26 being mounted on a respective side edge
42. Each engaging member 26 frictionally engages a respective sliding
latch 28.

[0017] When the user wishes to deploy the planar plate 12 of the mouse pad
10, the user pushes a button or actuator 18 on the exterior of housing
20. It should be understood that the button 18 is exemplary, and may be
mounted on any suitable portion of housing 20, or may be integrated into
the keys or buttons of the computer L or keyboard K. As shown in FIG. 3,
the button or actuator 18 is a switch for actuating a motor 30, a linear
actuator or the like, mounted within the housing 20 for driving each
latch 28 to translate away from the respective engaging member 26. In
FIG. 3, a single latch 28 is shown as being slidably mounted on a support
surface 32, and is driven to slide into the housing by motor or linear
actuator 30, which is powered by the battery B of the computer. It should
be understood that any driven latching mechanism may be used for
controllably releasing the planar plate 12 to slide within housing 20,
and that the latching assembly illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 is shown for
exemplary purposes only.

[0018] As noted above, the planar plate 12 is resiliently biased against
the surface 40 by springs 24. Thus, when the latches 28 are slid into the
housing 20 and away from the engaging elements 26, the planar plate 12
slides out into the position illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 4 for use. When
the user wishes to retract the planar plate 12, the use manually slides
the planar plate 12 back into the recess 22 so that the engaging members
26 are once again held against the latches 28 and frictional engagement
holds the planar plate 12 within the recess 22. As best shown in FIG. 2,
a pair of projecting members 29 may be mounted on the housing 20 adjacent
the slot formed therein for engaging the engaging members 26 in order to
prevent the planar plate 12 from being removed completely from the recess
22.

[0019] It will be understood that the latching and bias arrangement shown
in the drawings is exemplary, and alternative latching and bias
structures are possible. For example, the planar plate 12 may be mounted
on a track and guide structure, the latching and bias components may be
mounted on the lower or side surface of the plate 12, and the button 18
or other release component may be mounted on a face plate attached to the
front of the planar plate 12, similar to the mounting arrangement for an
optical drive.

[0020] It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to
the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments
within the scope of the following claims.